Scientists or commercial companies with good ideas on efficient energy use, making buildings more eco-friendly, or safeguarding Singapore’s food supply can now tap into a fund for research into these areas.
A $400 million kitty has been set aside for this.
Announcing this yesterday, Minister of State for National Development, Brigadier-General (NS) Tan Chuan-Jin, said: ‘Which other city-states would feel the pressures of urbanisation more keenly than us? I think Singapore has to blaze this trail to find our own innovative solutions.’
He was speaking at the inaugural Urban Sustainability R&D Congress at the Biopolis.
Three-quarters of the fund - $300 million - will be for research into energy-related issues.
This ‘Energy Resilience for Sustainable Growth’ fund, to come from the $1 billion earmarked by the National Research Foundation (NRF) last year, will pay for studies into affordable alternatives to fossil fuels or those that find ways to use fuels more efficiently.
Of the remaining $100 million, half will come from the NRF for studies into protecting Singapore’s food supply and raising the nation’s food output. Applications for this have been received and are being evaluated, said a spokesman.
The remaining $50 million will come from the Ministry of National Development (MND) Research Fund for the Built Environment.
This money will pay for research into areas such as constructing buildings that use less electricity, improving transport systems, and protecting the environment.
A spokesman for MND said it is drafting the call for proposals.
At the congress yesterday, BG Tan also handed out the inaugural Minister for National Development’s R&D Awards to three statutory boards that showed creativity in incorporating urban sustainability in their projects.
The Housing Board’s Treelodge @ Punggol and the Building & Construction Authority’s Zero Energy Building were given Distinguished Awards, while the Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority’s Vertical Farming project in Sembawang won a merit prize.
Research companies and institutes hailed the availability of these funds for research.
Dr Raj Thampuran, the executive director of the Science & Engineering Research Council of A*Star, said: ‘Research allows us to be fast adopters, quick followers, innovators and enables us to gain the knowledge to shape solutions to our needs.’
Hitachi Asia’s Research and Development Centre general manager Nobutoshi Sagawa said the money will stimulate positive growth in the sector, while Ms Lily Toh, managing director of local green-tech firm Winrigo, said the money is a godsend for small outfits like hers.
‘It’s quite difficult to get funding for research because many grants look at a company’s turnover, favouring big companies over small- and medium-sized ones like ours, so I support this new funding as it will help SMEs and benefit the community and consumers,’ she said.
The congress, which brought together people from the public sector, industry and researchers to discuss issues facing cities like Singapore, ends today.
